ACE Producers

ACE Producers
Name	ACE Producers
Type	Professional association
Founded	1992
Headquarters	Paris, France
Area served	International
Focus	Film and television production

ACE Producers

ACE Producers is a professional network and training program for film and television producers that facilitates international co-production, financing, and distribution. The organization connects producers across Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and North America, promoting collaborations among festivals, funds, broadcasters, and studios. ACE serves as a bridge between emerging producers and established institutions such as major film festivals and funding bodies.

Overview

ACE Producers operates as a selective training and networking initiative linking producers with institutions like the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and Sundance Film Festival. The program emphasizes co-production with entities such as the European Film Academy, Eurimages, British Film Institute, Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, and Screen Australia. Participants are connected to markets and platforms including the American Film Market, Marché du Film, European Film Market, Asian Film Market, and Ventana Sur. ACE has contacts with broadcasters and streaming services such as BBC, Arte, HBO, Netflix, and Amazon Studios.

History and Founding

ACE Producers was launched in 1992 in the context of post-Cold War cultural exchange and the expansion of international co-production treaties like the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production. Early collaborators and supporters included figures linked to the Cannes Film Festival apparatus, the Institut Français, and national film agencies such as the Fonds Sud Cinema and the Agencia Nacional de Cinematografía. Over time ACE engaged with initiatives tied to the Media Programme (European Union), the Creative Europe program, and bilateral agreements between countries like France and Germany, Brazil and Argentina, South Africa and Nigeria.

Membership and Structure

Membership in ACE is selective and based on a combination of professional track record and potential for international co-production. The organization’s cohort model brings together producers from regions including France, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Canada. Governance includes a board of experienced producers and advisors drawn from institutions such as the European Film Academy, national film funds, festival programmers, and academic partners at universities like Universidade de São Paulo and University of Southern California.

Key Programs and Initiatives

ACE runs workshops, labs, and pitching sessions often held alongside festivals and markets such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Rotterdam International Film Festival, San Sebastián International Film Festival, Berlinale Co-Production Market, and Ibero-American Film Market (FICG). Training modules address financing instruments including gap financing used in deals with companies like Pathé, StudioCanal, Gaumont, Wild Bunch, Participant Media, and CJ ENM. ACE initiatives have included mentoring schemes linked to co-production workshops like Les Arcs Co-Production Village, MeetMarket (Sheffield Doc/Fest), Doc Talent Accelerator, NISI Masa, and programs connected to the IDFA Forum, FIDMarseille, and Hot Docs Forum.

Impact on Film and Television Production

Through facilitated co-productions, ACE participants have contributed to projects financed by bodies such as Eurimages, MEDIA, SAG-AFTRA-related agreements, and national tax credit schemes in territories like Canada (Telefilm Canada), Australia (Screen Australia), United Kingdom (BFI), and France (CNC). ACE alumni have produced films and series that screened at Cannes', Berlin', Venice', Toronto', and Sundance' programs and won awards at events including the European Film Awards, Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, Cesar Awards, and Goya Awards. The network has influenced the circulation of auteur cinema, genre television, documentary co-productions, and cross-border series involving broadcasters like Canal+, TF1, Rai, ZDF, RTVE, NHK, and CBC/Radio-Canada.

Partnerships and Collaborations

ACE collaborates with festivals, markets, educational institutions, funding agencies, and production companies such as CNC, Eurimages, Creative Europe Desk, Innovate UK, Fonds Sud, Wellcome Trust, Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, British Council, Institut Français, Goethe-Institut, Istituto Luce Cinecittà, Korean Film Council, National Film Development Corporation of India, Telefilm Canada, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, and regional funds like Ibermedia. Strategic industry partners have included sales agents and distributors such as Fortissimo Films, Match Factory, Mars Distribution, The Film Sales Company, MUBI, Kino Lorber, and Arrow Films.

Awards and Recognition

ACE and its alumni have been associated with honors from festival juries and institutions such as the Cannes Palme d'Or winners’ teams, Berlin Golden Bear participants, Venice Golden Lion contenders, Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominees, and recipients of the European Film Awards and national prizes like the Cesar Awards and Goya Awards. Individual ACE producers have been shortlisted or awarded grants by Eurimages, Creative Europe, CNC writing grants, Telefilm Canada development funds, Screen Australia Production Finance, and philanthropic awards from organizations like the Ford Foundation and Wellcome Trust.

Category:Film production organizations Category:International film organizations